


Sentimental Fool

by mage_989



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Flash Fic, Gen, Post-Divorce, Wishful Thinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 15:10:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14167608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mage_989/pseuds/mage_989
Summary: Richard goes to get Maya coffee that necklace still in his hand.





	Sentimental Fool

**Author's Note:**

> A short piece focusing on why Richard has something of his ex-wife's at work along with my headcanon that Richard is a single dad.

Maya wanted coffee and so Richard stood by the coffee marker waiting for it to finish, rubbing the necklace, a gift for his wife on their first anniversary, between his fingers. No one had thought to ask him why he would have something of his ex’s on him. If they had he would have told them it was because he was a sentimental fool. A fool for thinking he could make things work and sentimental for thinking back on the years before it all went wrong.

“It’s awkward having a policeman around the house.”

The line came back to him easily. It was from a speech from a real old timer on the force decades ago that was still played to everyone in the early days of field work. A lot had changed since then. Drones patrolled the streets, instead of cops walking a beat. Plates and fingerprints could be looked up in an instant instead of having to wait days or even weeks. Insults had changed, but paperwork never had and neither had the strain on a cop’s personal life.

It wasn’t easy being a cop’s wife and that turned out to be true for him as much as anyone. Of course everyone once believed they were going to be the exception to the rule. Richard had certainly thought so back when he too had been youthful and stupid. In the beginning it had been good for his wife to have a man in uniform on her arm, and long hours meant more money to re-do the house and host their friends in it.

But eventually parties were no fun when a man with a badge answered the door. Everyone still liked to crack jokes or ask about getting their neighbour arrested for not picking up after their dog. It was even less fun though when a guy who looked like he hadn’t bathed in a month answered the door instead. Then everyone just felt uncomfortable. 

He tried to stay away when assignments called for him to look like that, but even then all his time away caused its own problems. A lack of connection, of nights spent worrying that he wouldn’t come home. The missed birthday parties and talent shows steadily piled up; his wife beginning to break out in her own career that was an excuse for her not to be around either. They couldn’t make it work and after a lot of angry arguments they realized that. 

Now that it was all over she never sent word to him. She never even asked about their daughter. She could have been dead for all he knew and a part of him couldn’t really blame her for staying away. They had both been building separate lives all through their marriage it only made sense they would stay separate now, but he had hoped their little Angelica had meant more to her. He had left Vice to have a more stable schedule and look for her. He had made sacrifices for his daughter and he knew one day she would ask him why her mother had not. 

Oh, well at least he knew she was safe and that if Angelica wanted answers one day she was still out there somewhere; and hey he had gotten a laugh out of the guys and sometimes that was the only way to get through life.

The machine beeped as the coffee finished being poured. Richard tucked the necklace into his pocket and grabbed the cup to take back to Maya.

The End


End file.
